The Communist Party of Ireland condemns in the strongest possible terms the refusal of the Irish government to stand with the Palestinian people in the face of ongoing genocide by the Israeli state.
The decision of the Irish government and the Irish state not to support the South African case to the International Court of Justice accusing the Government of Israel of genocide in its war against the Palestinian people is utter cowardice and the act of a compliant, subservient ally of the imperial powers.
It is clear that successive Irish governments have supported and collaborated with the western imperial powers – the US, Britain and the European Union – in their global strategy for domination, exploitation and control.
By not supporting the South African government’s case against the genocidal state of Israel they have dropped the last fig-leaf of pretense of having any kind of independent foreign policy which reflects the thinking or demands of the people of Ireland.
Both the government and the state (Department of Foreign Affairs) are driven by their own class self-interest and those of the Irish ruling elite. Their cowardice is also reflective of their subservient role in relation to the interests of the US and the EU. The Irish government talks a lot about respect for “International rule of law” while in practice they, like the US and the EU, do not apply what they demand of others.
It bears repeating that the genocide being carried out by the Israeli state has the full material backing of the US, Britain and the EU: financially, politically, strategically and in the provision of weapons and arms.
“International rule of law” and the so-called “rules-based international order” are about imposing subservient relationships. These rules are to be imposed upon those that stand up for their sovereignty and are seen to be in opposition to the dictats of the economic, political and military interests of the major imperial powers. But those same “rules” do not apply to imperialists themselves, nor its friends and strategic allies, such as Israel.
What is required at this moment is a real and genuine progressive neutrality. The demands at the heart of this movement must be: global solidarity, economic justice and de-militarisation, in particular nuclear disarmament. No part of Ireland shoud be used by any military alliance, like NATO or PESCO. We demand a foreign policy that is truly reflective of the history of our people and in the interests of the people of Ireland today.
Statement ends.
